I opened my eyes. I tried to look around realizing that I could not move. My arms were tied up. What had happened? I thought back... What was the last thing I remembered? I knew I had been in the hospital... what had happened...? There were people around me... looking at me...

“Dr. Oh’s office called and he wants to see me,” Roger said to me as I walked into the kitchen. My heart felt like it twisted into a knot and was held by a vice for a minute. Dread is a heavy thing, I noted. I went into the other room and began to pray in the Spirit. My mind was swirling but I knew I needed to find my anchor. I needed the truth of my God.

Desire arises… again. I thought I had mastered that longing in my heart. I thought I had submitted and surrendered it to the LORD. And I did, but there’s something about being human that periodically draws me back to revisit the desires of my heart that have not yet been realized.

There are many “new things” that happen in each of our lives. New can be wonderful and exciting but there is an aspect of transitioning from the “old” to the “new” that, until recently, I was not aware of.

I will give you a context for my new thing, then share my “aha” which initially surprised me, and threw me for a loop.

I am not at the mercy of my circumstances... or at least I don’t have to be.

Yes. We all have circumstances. We all have situations and events that happen to us, that we do not prefer. That we did not overtly choose. What can we do when we find ourselves in the middle of something very difficult?

Difficult times come in life. What do we do with them? How do we access God’s hope and perspective as He “causes all things to work out for good” in our lives? What do we do when persevering seems unbearable and like a dead end?

God has been inviting me to embrace a perspective that virtually takes the angst out of disappointments. This new frame of reference not only keeps me anchored to Him, but actually propels me towards Him in life’s most difficult moments.

Have you ever seen a Facebook post and thought, “Wow! I wish I was there…or eating that…or celebrating that…or getting to experience…?” If you are simply inspired by what someone else is doing, great. If however, reading about someone else’s life pierces your heart with disappointment that reminds you of what you do not have, I have an encouraging challenge for you.

I opened my eyes. I tried to look around realizing that I could not move. My arms were tied up. What had happened? I thought back... What was the last thing I remembered? I knew I had been in the hospital... what had happened...? There were people around me... looking at me...